Imazaquin sorption in surface and subsurface soil samples

The objective of this work was to study the sorption and desorption of imazaquin, in surface and subsurface soil samples from Brazil. Sorption and desorption steps were carried out using batch equilibration and high performance liquid chromatography analytical routines. The value of Kf,ads was positively correlated with clay content, and negatively correlated with pH of supernatant. Samples from Typic Haplustox, clayey soil profile having high clay content, provided higher Kf,ads values, and negative correlation with organic carbon, silt content, cation exchange capacity and pH.

Exploratory survey about dietary supplement use: a hazardous and erratic way to improve one's health?

INTRODUCTION: Dietary supplement (DS) use increased rapidly in recent years. However, evidence of benefits of many DSs for healthy users is scarce and may not equate with known risks of overdose, drug interaction and recently discovered negative long-term effects. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the perceptions and motivations of DS users in Lausanne, Switzerland. METHOD: A convenience sample (n = 147) was recruited at the entrances of local sales points. Data were collected in on-site semistructured interviews that assessed dietary supplementation habits. RESULTS: The majority of DSs were all-in-one products, containing a mixture of minerals and vitamins, or products containing only minerals. Among the 147 users, 72 (49%) used one all-in-one product and 3 (2%) used two all-in-one products. Thirty-one (21%) consumers did not know for at least one product what the purpose of their DS use was. Seventy-five percent of participants thought that DS use presents no risk or nearly no risk. Only 49% of participants stated that their physicians were informed about their consumption. Although men searched more often for potential risks (p <0.001), they turned less frequently to health professionals to get this information (p = 0.007). DISCUSSION: As in other surveys performed elsewhere, our study shows that, in Lausanne (Switzerland), DSs are commonly used as mixed products. Risk perception seems generally low among DS users. Physicians should be trained to evaluate patients' perceived needs and DS consumption in order to provide good evidence-based information or to propose alternatives to DS use.

Prevalence and characteristics of vitamin or dietary supplement users in Lausanne, Switzerland: the CoLaus study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vitamin+mineral supplement (VMS) and dietary supplement (DS) use is widespread in the general population, but the motivations for such use are poorly known. The prevalence and characteristics of VMS and DS users in Lausanne, Switzerland, were thus assessed. METHOD: Cross-sectional study was performed including 3249 women and 2937 men (CoLaus study). VMS were defined as single or multivitamin-multimineral preparations. DS included omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids, herbal teas, plant or animal extracts and bacterial (Lactobacillus) preparations. Calcium and iron supplements were assessed separately. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent of the subjects reported using VMS or DS. VMS were the most frequently consumed item (16.8%), followed by DS (10%), calcium (6.6%) and iron (1.8%). Women reported a higher consumption than men. In women, VMS, DS and calcium use increased and iron use decreased with age, whereas in men only VMS and calcium intake increased with age. Multivariate analysis showed female gender, being born in Switzerland, increased age, higher education and increased physical activity to be positively related with VMS and DS. On bivariate analysis, VMS and DS users presented more frequently with arthritis, anxiety, depression and osteoporosis, but on multivariate analysis only positive relationships between DS use and anxiety/depression (odds ratio (OR)=1.40; 95% confidence interval (CI): [1.16-1.70]) and calcium and osteoporosis (OR=10.6; 95% CI [7.77-14.4]) were found. CONCLUSION: VMS and DS use is common in the population of Lausanne and associated with a better health profile. Calcium supplements are taken to prevent osteoporosis, whereas the rationale for taking other VMS and DS is unclear.

Combined application of continuous wavelet transform-zero crossing technique in the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of perindopril and indapamid in tablets

Signal processing methods based on the combined use of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and zero-crossing technique were applied to the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of perindopril (PER) and indapamide (IND) in tablets. These signal processing methods do not require any priory separation step. Initially, various wavelet families were tested to identify the optimum signal processing giving the best recovery results. From this procedure, the Haar and Biorthogonal1.5 continuous wavelet transform (HAAR-CWT and BIOR1.5-CWT, respectively) were found suitable for the analysis of the related compounds. After transformation of the absorbance vectors by using HAAR-CWT and BIOR1.5-CWT, the CWT-coefficients were drawn as a graph versus wavelength and then the HAAR-CWT and BIOR1.5-CWT spectra were obtained. Calibration graphs for PER and IND were obtained by measuring the CWT amplitudes at 231.1 and 291.0 nm in the HAAR-CWT spectra and at 228.5 and 246.8 nm in BIOR1.5-CWT spectra, respectively. In order to compare the performance of HAAR-CWT and BIOR1.5-CWT approaches, derivative spectrophotometric (DS) method and HPLC as comparison methods, were applied to the PER-IND samples. In this DS method, first derivative absorbance values at 221.6 for PER and 282.7 nm for IND were used to obtain the calibration graphs. The validation of the CWT and DS signal processing methods was carried out by using the recovery study and standard addition technique. In the following step, these methods were successfully applied to the commercial tablets containing PER and IND compounds and good accuracy and precision were reported for the experimental results obtained by all proposed signal processing methods.

Human prophylactic vaccine adjuvants and their determinant role in new vaccine formulations

Adjuvants have been considered for a long time to be an accessory and empirical component of vaccine formulations. However, accumulating evidence of their crucial role in initiating and directing the immune response has increased our awareness of the importance of adjuvant research in the past decade. Nevertheless, the importance of adjuvants still is not fully realized by many researchers working in the vaccine field, who are involved mostly in the search for better target antigens. The choice of a proper adjuvant can be determinant for obtaining the best results for a given vaccine candidate, but it is restricted due to intellectual property and know-how issues. Consequently, in most cases the selected adjuvant continues to be the aluminum salt, which has a record of safety, but predominantly constitutes a delivery system (DS). Ideally, new strategies should combine immune potentiators (IP) and DS by mixing both compounds or by obtaining structures that contain both IP and DS. In addition, the term immune polarizer has been introduced as an essential concept in the vaccine design strategies. Here, we review the theme, with emphasis on the discussion of the few licensed new adjuvants, the need for safe mucosal adjuvants and the adjuvant/immunopotentiating activity of conjugation. A summary of toxicology and regulatory issues will also be discussed, and the Finlay Adjuvant Platform is briefly summarized.

The cloning and reconstitution of a bovine adenovirus type 2 E3 deletion mutant and the sequencing and analysis of the early 4 region

Recombinant Adenoviruses (Ads) have been shown to have potential applications in three areas: gene therapy, high level protein expression and recombinant vaccines.' At least three different locations within the Ad genome can be deleted and subsequently used for the insertion of foreign sequences. These include the Early 3 (E3), Early 1 (E1) and Early 4 (E4) regions. Viral vectors of this type have been well studied in Human Ads 2 and 5, however one has not yet been constructed for Bovine Adenovirus Type 2 (BAV2). The E3 region is located between 76.6 and 86 m.u. on the r-strand and is transcribed in a rightward direction. The gene products of the Early 3 region (E3) have been shown to be non-essential for viral replication, in vitro, but are required for host immunosurveillance. This study represents the cloning and reconstitution of a BAV2 E3 deletion mutant. A deletion of 1800bp was made within the E3 region of BAV2 and the thymidine kinase gene was subsequently inserted in the deleted area . . The plasmid pdlE3-4tk1 (23.4Kbp) was constructed and used to to facilitate homologous recombination with the wild type BAV2 to produce a mutant. Southern Blotting and Hybridization results suggest the presence of a BAV2 E3 deletion mutant with thymidine kinase sequences present. The E4 region of Human Adenovirus types 2 and 5 is located at the extreme right end of the genome (91.3 map units - 99.1 map units) and is transcribed in a leftward direction giving rise to a complicated set of differentially spliced mRNAs. Essentially there are 7 open reading frames (ORFs) encoding for at least 7 polypeptides. The gene products encoded by the E4 region have been shown to be essential for the expression of late viral genes, host cell shutoff and normal viral growth. We have cloned and sequenced the right end segment between 90.5 map units and 100 map units of the BAV2 genome. The results show several open reading frames which encode polypeptides exhibiting homology to three polypeptides encoded by the E4 region of human adenovirus type 2. These include the 14kDa protein encoded by ORF1, the 34kDa protein encoded by ORF6 and the 13kDa protein encoded by ORF3. The nucleotide sequence, restriction enzyme map, and ORF map of the E4 region could be very useful in future molecular manipulation of this region and could possibly explain the slow growth rate of BAV2 in MDBK cells.

Letters - Correspondence with John Diefenbaker, 1968

There is a telegram from John Diefenbaker congratulating Sean O'Sullivan on his recent election win as President of the Hamilton Young Progressive Conservatives. O'Sullivan was in Grade 11 at the time. The second correspondence is a reply from Sean O'Sullivan with appreciation to Diefenbaker for all his "encouragement and inspiration". The correspondence took place 19 March 1968 and 20 March 1968.

Under the roof and the pen of Elizabeth Willing Powel. Material culture, sociability, and letters in revolutionary and early republican Philadelphia

Ce mémoire a pour toile de fond Philadelphia à la fin du dix-huitième siècle et couvre les périodes de la Révolution américaine et les débuts de la République. Trois thèmes s’y entrelacent: la culture matérielle, la sociabilité, et l’agentivité des femmes. Ces trois thèmes sont explorés au travers de Elizabeth Willing Powel, une femme éduquée faisant partie de l’élite de Philadelphie, et des moyens avec lesquels elle s’auto-projetait auprès de la société au travers l’environnement matériel de sa maison – la Powel House – and au travers de sa correspondance. Elizabeth Powel était reconnue pour son intelligence, son art de la conversation et ses qualités d’hôtesse. Ce projet explore les interactions entre une femme de l’élite et son environnement matériel durant les périodes révolutionnaires et postrévolutionnaires. Le but est d’observer comment la culture matérielle représentait des positions sociales, culturelles et politiques. Ce mémoire observe les interactions sociales et les façons dont Elizabeth Powel se représente en société par une analyse de sa correspondance, analyse qui porte une attention particulière aux discours de Elizabeth sur les questions du rôle des femmes en société, de l’éducation des femmes. Enfin, ce mémoire explore comment la culture matérielle et l’écriture épistolaire étaient des vecteurs d’agentivité pour Elizabeth, des moyens de participer aux important changements qui transformaient la société américaine de la fin du dix-huitième siècle.

Data Protection and Computer Misuse Act Reference List

This is the reference lists for the resource set we have produced for the INFO2009 Assignment 2 Group Poster.

Data Protection and Computer Misuse Act Poster

This is the poster about the resource set we have produced for the INFO2009 Assignment 2 Group Poster.

Data Protection and Computer Misuse Act Poster (PDF Version)

This is the poster about the resource set we have produced for the INFO2009 Assignment 2 Group Poster.

Organic solvents as risk factor for autoimmune diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Genetic and epigenetic factors interacting with the environment over time are the main causes of complex diseases such as autoimmune diseases (ADs). Among the environmental factors are organic solvents (OSs), which are chemical compounds used routinely in commercial industries. Since controversy exists over whether ADs are caused by OSs, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the association between OSs and ADs. Methods and Findings: The systematic search was done in the PubMed, SCOPUS, SciELO and LILACS databases up to February 2012. Any type of study that used accepted classification criteria for ADs and had information about exposure to OSs was selected. Out of a total of 103 articles retrieved, 33 were finally included in the meta-analysis. The final odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained by the random effect model. A sensitivity analysis confirmed results were not sensitive to restrictions on the data included. Publication bias was trivial. Exposure to OSs was associated to systemic sclerosis, primary systemic vasculitis and multiple sclerosis individually and also to all the ADs evaluated and taken together as a single trait (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.25-1.92; p-value, 0.001). Conclusion: Exposure to OSs is a risk factor for developing ADs. As a corollary, individuals with non-modifiable risk factors (i.e., familial autoimmunity or carrying genetic factors) should avoid any exposure to OSs in order to avoid increasing their risk of ADs.

The use of dead-end and cross-flow nanofiltration to purify prebiotic oligosaccharides from reaction mixtures

Nanofiltration (NF) of model sugar solutions and commercial oligosaccharide mixtures were studied in both dead-end and cross-flow modes. Preliminary trials, with a dead-end filtration cell, demonstrated the feasibility of fractionating monosaccharides from disaccharides and oligosaccharides in mixtures, using loose nanofiltration (NF-CA-50, NF-TFC-50) membranes. During the nanofiltration purification of a commercial oligosaccharide mixture, yields of 19% (w w-1) for the monosaccharides and 88% (w w-1) for di, and oligosaccharides were obtained for the NF-TFC-50 membrane after four filtration steps, indicating that removal of the monosaccharides is possible, with only minor losses of the oligosaccharide content of the mixture. The effects of pressure, feed concentration, and filtration temperature were studied in similar experiments carried out in a cross-flow system, in full recycle mode of operation. The rejection rates of the sugar components increased with increasing pressure, and decreased with both increasing total sugar concentration in the feed and increasing temperature. Continuous diafiltration (CD) purification of model sugar solutions and commercial oligosaccharide mixtures using NF-CA-50 (at 25oC) and DS-5-DL (at 60oC) membranes, gave yield values of 14 to 18% for the monosaccharide, 59 to 89% for the disaccharide and 81 to 98% for the trisaccharide present in the feed. The study clearly demonstrates the potential of cross flow nanofiltration in the purification of oligosaccharide mixtures from the contaminant monosaccharides.

Language in genetic syndromes and cognitive modularity

In recent years, research into the impact of genetic abnormalities on cognitive development, including language, has become recognized for its potential to make valuable contributions to our understanding of the brain–behaviour relationships underlying language acquisition as well as to understanding the cognitive architecture of the human mind. The publication of Fodor’s ( 1983 ) book The Modularity of Mind has had a profound impact on the study of language and the cognitive architecture of the human mind. Its central claim is that many of the processes involved in comprehension are undertaken by special brain systems termed ‘modules’. This domain specificity of language or modularity has become a fundamental feature that differentiates competing theories and accounts of language acquisition (Fodor 1983 , 1985 ; Levy 1994 ; Karmiloff-Smith 1998 ). However, although the fact that the adult brain is modularized is hardly disputed, there are different views of how brain regions become specialized for specific functions. A question of some interest to theorists is whether the human brain is modularized from the outset (nativist view) or whether these distinct brain regions develop as a result of biological maturation and environmental input (neuroconstructivist view). One source of insight into these issues has been the study of developmental disorders, and in particular genetic syndromes, such as Williams syndrome (WS) and Down syndrome (DS). Because of their uneven profiles characterized by dissociations of different cognitive skills, these syndromes can help us address theoretically significant questions. Investigations into the linguistic and cognitive profiles of individuals with these genetic abnormalities have been used as evidence to advance theoretical views about innate modularity and the cognitive architecture of the human mind. The present chapter will be organized as follows. To begin, two different theoretical proposals in the modularity debate will be presented. Then studies of linguistic abilities in WS and in DS will be reviewed. Here, the emphasis will be mainly on WS due to the fact that theoretical debates have focused primarily on WS, there is a larger body of literature on WS, and DS subjects have typically been used for the purposes of comparison. Finally, the modularity debate will be revisited in light of the literature review of both WS and DS. Conclusions will be drawn regarding the contribution of these two genetic syndromes to the issue of cognitive modularity, and in particular innate modularity.

Microwave-Assisted Derivatization of Cellulose in an Ionic Liquid: An Efficient, Expedient Synthesis of Simple and Mixed Carboxylic Esters

Microwave (MW)-assisted cellulose dissolution in ionic liquids (ILs) has routinely led either to incomplete biopolymer solubilization, or its degradation. We show that these problems can be avoided by use of low-energy MW heating, coupled with efficient stirring. Dissolution of microcrystalline cellulose in the IL 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride has been achieved without changing its degree of polymerization; regenerated cellulose showed pronounced changes in its index of crystallinity, surface area, and morphology. MW-assisted functionalization of MCC by ethanoic, propanoic, butanoic, pentanoic, and hexanoic anhydrides has been studied. Compared with conventional heating, MW irradiation has resulted in considerable decrease in dissolution and reaction times. The value of the degree of substitution (DS) was found to be DS(ethanoate) > DS(propanoate) > DS(butanoate). The values of DS(pentanoate) and DS(hexanoate) were found to be slightly higher than DS(ethanoate). This surprising dependence on the chain length of the acylating agent has been reported before, but not rationalized. On the basis of the rate constants and activation parameters of the hydrolysis of ethanoic, butanoic, and hexanoic anhydrides in aqueous acetonitrile (a model acyl transfer reaction), we suggest that this result may be attributed to the balance between two opposing effects, namely, steric crowding and (cooperative) hydrophobic interactions between the anhydride and the cellulosic surface, whose lipophilicity has increased, due to its partial acylation. Four ethanoate-based mixed esters were synthesized by the reaction with a mixture of the two anhydrides; the ethanoate moiety predominated in all products. The DS is reproducible and the IL is easily recycled. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 134-143, 2010